River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-03-10
THE HORSE.
Raising and Management.

/ ny DR.. F. L. PARSONS.
There is probably nothing more es.
sential in the raising of horses than
proper feeding. A vigorous. healthy
body Is indication of good constitution,
and there is no more important fact to
be considered in this regard than that
improper feeding will impair the con
stitution, and make the animal of
necessity less valuable. Proper feed
ing does not imply over feeding, no
more than il does under feeding, for
the digestive organs must not be called
upon to perform over work, as such
course wonld surely result in impair
ment of their power as would the
same cause with the human species,
and reward the owner with dyspepsia
and its attendant evils, besides invit-
ing many other complaints which
result in the fermentation of undigest-
ed food.
Il nC AiOiSC ollOulu uG leu l4O lhOlG at
once than can be digested and assimil-
ated, and the digestive abilities of
each horse should be studied. SO that
the proper amount of food may be
learned and provided. The vicious
method some have of feeding all hor-
SEES alike, has been the cause of much
disease and constitutional impairment,
resulting often in spelling good team
by making one incapable OF perform
ing as well as his mate, when, if the
owner had known the digestive abili-
ties of each, such difficulty and loss
might have been averted.
Feeding should be done at regular
intervals, if possible, and the horse
should not be heated, nor weary when
fed, from the fact that he needs all
his natural forces to properly perform
digestion, which should be done speed
lily. The feed of grain should be given,
first and time allowed for partial
digestion at least before hay is given
50 that the stomach may not be over
stocked and too much extended while
in the performance of its most impOr-
tant function.
If the horse desires it, light drink
of fresh water, not too cold, should be
given and allowed few minutes to
pass from the stomach in advance of
giving grain, as this is refreshing and
seems to stimulate the secretion of
gastric juices, indispensable in the
work of digestion. What we have
here said applies in raising as well as
in management of mature animals, and
Is eminently essential while the horse
is growing, for it is then that his re-
quiremeEts are best learned and his
habits formed. Colts should De fed
some grain the first winter, and their
food should be as carefully selected as
possible; clean oats mixed with little
bran, and clean hay with little bright
oat straw being most desirable as a
regular diet. one pint of oats morn
ing and night, will show its beneficial
work on the young colt when lie
reaches one year old, and the start
thus given will add to the value of the
animal Qf afterwards well treated)
during his entire career.
The kind and quantity of food, and
the manner of feeding are of course of
great Importance in the raising of
horses, but the good effects of these
may all be lost through negligence in
| caring for the comfort of the animal,
of birth the colt should have careful
treatment, which means protection
from cold storms and other dangers,
plenty of exercise on clean, open
ground, and sufliciency of nourish-
| ment. If the mother does not provide
an abundance of food, substitutes
should be resorted to for the young
colt and immediate effort put forth to
increase the flow of milk from the
mother. When cold fall rains begin
and freezing nights make their appear
ance, colts and horses o. all ages
should be furnished shelter, so that
they can find comfort, and protection
from bleak winds, and coating of ice,
aud when winter comes, a stable or
closed shed is their due; and the own
er is not kind to his beast or true to
his own interests, who fails to provide
| LGts essential to comfort and health.
No doubt the best form of stable is
the box stall with earth floor. Still
other forms of stable are not necessa-
rily bad, as good stable management is
capable of overcoming most of the
evils complained of in either, but
whatever form is used, cleanliness is
an absolute necessity in securing per-
fecal or urinary discharges should be
tolerated. as the exhalations from
these are vicious indeed to the skin,
eyes and lungs. Stables should be
well ventilated overhead, yet so closely
built as to prevent drafts upon the
animals. They should be occasionally
disinfected with lime, by whitewash-
ing and sprinkling the floors lightly.
The horse above all animals needs to
be kept clean, hence should be thor
oughly cleaned every day, and his
limbs thoroughly rubbed to remove
adipose tissue and make them firm,
elastic and strong.
An exchange says the light from an
electric tower at Davenport, Iowa,
falls full upon a flower garden one
hundred and sixty feet away, and dur